The invention relates to a method for cutting Y bevels by means of a laser.
It is often essential to chamfer sheet-metal edges, for example in shipbuilding or in the construction of plant and machinery, in order for a subsequent welding process to be carried out. The chamfering of sheet-metal edges by means of inclined laser cutting on the isolated component is described in Laser 5, 1997, pp. 6-10. In such a method, firstly a vertical cut has to be carried out using the laser, and then the top part of the cut surface has to be removed by means of an inclined cut. This method has the drawback that the leftover metal sheet has to be removed from the cutting bench in order to create sufficient space for the slag to be expelled during the inclined cutting operation. Otherwise, there is a risk of the product and the leftover metal sheet fusing together. A handling operation is required for the leftover metal sheet to be removed. This operation entails the drawback that the position of the component (product) may change.
Cuts made in the reverse order (firstly inclined cut, followed by vertical cut) do not give a satisfactory result. The inclined cutting gap prevents a clean vertical cut from being formed, since the slag cannot be expelled cleanly downwards.